You are very strong, but my painting style is better than yours!

Snapped!

Iori snapped her fingers, and a semi-transparent ripple swept across the surface. Sila collapsed to the ground as if all the bones in her body had been removed.

“I, I, I…Master, no…no! I…Father…no, I am, I am…”

[Faceless Men! Revolutionary Army! Aizen Iori! Aaaaaah, die, all of you!!!]

The young man's expression suddenly changed, and his voice became as fierce as a wolf's, but then it changed back again.

"No! Who are you?!"

Sheila was in a state of utter confusion, his words incoherent, sweat dripping down his face, and he was panting heavily despite not having exercised... After a long while, his body stopped trembling, and he slowly raised his head to look up at Iori.

"Lord Aizen... I think... something's wrong... I actually... for a fleeting moment... wanted to... ugh... wanted to... kill you!!!"

Kill! Kill! Kill! Unforgivable! How dare they attack me—

"Shut up! Shut up!"

Sheila screamed in despair, her metal prosthetic fingers gripping her face so tightly that they drew bloody gashes.

But he seemed completely oblivious to the pain, suddenly leaping up and crawling over on all fours like a wolfhound, grabbing Iori's feet and pressing his forehead against them—you could feel his body twitching intermittently from excessive excitement.

"How could I have such a terrible thought? This must be the devil's temptation!"

"...Please...Please, Lord Aizen! Eradicate the demon from my mind!"

Kill him! He must be killed! He's the devil! No, he's Death!

An adult male broke down crying and screaming, his blood and tears mingling together, making him look like a madman.

Not only were Will and the others startled, but even Iori frowned slightly.

It seems they went too far... After all, among all the "patients," Sheila took the most drugs. The others only had their thoughts modified, but this guy's deep consciousness has been completely distorted.

How pitiful... no, not pitiful at all.

"Ahhhh!"

Sheila's cries were undeniably heart-wrenching, evoking sympathy in all who heard them, but Iori, whose legs were being held tightly, spoke with icy coldness.

"I can not do it."

"...Huh? Lord Aizen, are you going to abandon me?!" Sheila was more terrified than angry.

[Alright! Now you can make your move! I'm going to kill you and everyone involved! Lingchi! Dismemberment!]

"How could this be... I'm willing to give you everything, why... why can't you give me a chance at salvation?"

"I can not do it."

Iori repeated, her tone indifferent: "Because that so-called 'demon' is you yourself, it is the nature lurking in your soul, your original self."

On the contrary, the you I see now is merely a mirage I created, a byproduct of brainwashing.

"Me? No, impossible! That wasn't me! How could I possibly want to kill—"

When did you develop the illusion that 'you are yourself'?

Iori bluntly stated, "From beginning to end, Sheila was just a scumbag, a villain, a piece of trash that I used to make use of."

As for now... they have no further use, so let the trash go where it belongs.

【asshole! ! ! 】

"...Impossible...You're lying...I'm definitely not..."

Sheila collapsed to her knees, looking up at Iori with tears streaming down her face like a stray dog: "Lord Aizen...don't you want me anymore?"

"..."

Iori did not answer, whether out of speechlessness or unwillingness to waste any more energy.

But Sheila seemed to have her own answer—

"Yes...that's it...it's all 'my' fault! It's all that 'devil's' fault!"

If it weren't for him, Lord Aizen wouldn't have rejected me!

If he had never existed in the first place, I could have followed you forever!

"A demon! This demon!"

Sheila stood up with a ferocious expression, walked to the edge of the city wall, turned around, and glanced at the tense crowd before finally looking at the expressionless mask.

[Wait! What are you doing?! You idiot! Stop it right now!]

"Lord Aizen... I... I will kill the demon called 'myself'! Please... please accept my loyalty once again!"

"...No, that's impossible."

Even in this situation, he did not choose to comfort the other person: "I don't want to deceive you. I never intended for 'Sira' to live from the beginning. Even if you look different from him, your existence is actually dependent on him. You are like a tree without roots or water without a source... Once the brainwashing is lifted, you will disappear very soon."

only……

Yes, if it's only about 'you', then I have to admit:

"You are my best subordinate, Sheila."

"...Sayonara, Lord Aizen."

No! No way! How could I, how could I die such a ridiculous death?!

Sheila closed her eyes contentedly: "Is there anything happier in the world than to gain your approval?"

Whoosh—Pfft!

The youth fell backward, his body plummeting from the high city wall, crashing into the knight statues on either side of the inner gate. A thick, long stone sword, raised high above, pierced his chest, and a torrent of blood gushed out, staining the statues red...

Will, the black-haired youth, came to the wall and looked at the gruesome corpse below, his eyes deep but his face expressionless.

"You could have let him die without knowing anything, but instead you ruthlessly revealed the cruel truth."

But from another perspective, you didn't let him perish in ignorance, but gave him the opportunity to make his own decision... For a nonexistent temporary personality, could this be considered a kind of 'gentleness'?

I... I don't understand..."

"Do you think I'm cold-hearted after seeing this?"

Will heard Iori's words and shook his head slightly: "No, I'm not a novice who's never seen blood, and I already know from others what kind of person Sheila is..."

For such a bastard, even shedding a tear would be a waste; this painless death would be a real privilege for him.

“You’ve grown a lot, Will.” Iori nodded with satisfaction.

Although these passionate young people may be stubborn, they are by no means stupid; on the contrary, they have great potential for growth.

Having traveled with Iori through most of the empire, witnessed so many things, killed so many villains, and interacted with ordinary people from all walks of life... Will is much more mature now than he was in the original story.

"There's no time for your sentimental lamentations—obey my command!"

Wow!

Upon hearing Iori's words, a chorus of solemn silence rose from the city walls.

"Lan, you lead the team to search for Minister Ernest's whereabouts. He's not the kind of person who will hold out until the very end; he's definitely already on the run. Find him and kill him."

Everything else is irrelevant, but I want a complete head, understand?

"Yes!"

“He has a way to counter ordinary Imperial Arms, but it can only be effective against one person. Let Seryu protect you.”

Iori paused slightly, then said, "The rest of you will split into four teams, carry my banner, and start from this city gate to enter the capital and suppress the rioting soldiers. You don't need to occupy any territory, but you must severely punish those soldiers who have lost their minds and started to cause chaos—no matter which side they are on!"

"As ordered!"

"As ordered!"

……

After receiving their missions, everyone quickly split into four combat teams and set off to stabilize the situation.

With their numbers, it would be impossible for them to protect the entire capital, but they could still manage to cut down the rabble along the main road, eliminate the beasts, and make an example of them.

"Hmm? General, aren't you coming with us?"

Will suddenly realized that Iori didn't seem to have any intention of participating in this operation, which made him a little strange.

“I have another job.”

Iori gazed quietly at the Imperial Palace in the heart of the capital, her eyes slightly narrowed, a hint of anticipation in her voice.

"Don't be impatient... after all, heroes always appear at the most crucial moment!"

Chapter 80: [Guardian Machine God - Supreme Throne]

The Savior of Villains

Category: Art Style CG

Level: ~

Quality: ~

Rewards at a glance: Art style value +2

-

Although it was just a symbolic addition of a "2", it still managed to generate a CG image, which was a pleasant surprise for Iori.

He wasn't too moved by Sheila's death; in his view, it was Sheila's just desserts, and that it had only been postponed until now in order to extract more benefits from her.

Standing on high ground and looking out, the capital city resembles a giant cauldron, with soldiers and civilians seemingly swept up in some invisible broth, passively churning with its ebb and flow. Visible and invisible fierce conflicts unfold every moment.

Even though the Revolutionary Army had emphasized the importance of military discipline, the situation continued to spiral out of control after the capital was captured. Fighting against the remnants of the Imperial Army scattered throughout the city kept them on edge and easily provoked.

Right now, it's just sporadic, small-scale killings and robberies, but if left unchecked, the soldiers who have tasted the sweetness will turn to the dark and degenerate at an alarming rate, and even their direct superiors will be helpless.

Compared to the tragedy that is about to unfold in this city, Sheila's death is nothing to lament.

He was just an insignificant wave in the great tide, the kind that's as muddy as mud.

From his vantage point, Iori watched as his elite squad entered the city to suppress dissent and restore order. However, due to their small size, it was like adding a few drops of cold water to hot soup—it failed to address the root of the problem.

Then, he took out the Imperial Arm, which resembled a compass and was engraved with a yin-yang symbol: [Dimensional Array - Shangri-La].

He had only made some preparations in advance as a precaution, but now it seems his predictions have unfortunately come true... It is time to activate this force.

hum!

hum!

hum!

Under Iori's mental control, huge teleportation arrays appeared on the cleaned streets, followed by waves of well-equipped and imposing soldiers, numbering in the thousands. The leader of them was none other than Esdeath!

"The capital city, it's been so long since I've been back."

Esdeath had anticipated the teleportation, and although Iori had explained beforehand that it was only a "backup plan," both of them knew that it was unavoidable.

"Vali, put on the 'Masked Reaper' flags we prepared beforehand, and disperse into groups of a hundred men to suppress all the rioters who are causing chaos and committing illegal acts, regardless of their affiliation!"

"Understood, Lady Esdeath."

Vali, in his old-fashioned steward manner, respectfully agreed, then his demeanor changed, and he began to decisively send troops into the city to fight. His calm and unhurried manner clearly showed that he was an experienced old general.

This unit was composed of elite soldiers selected by Esdeath from the military. Although their average combat strength might not be as good as Iori's direct subordinates, their strength lies in their almost 100% obedience to her. Even in this "boiling pot of soup," they can follow orders and will not be swept away by the tide and lose their direction.

With over a thousand men and Iori's several hundred subordinates, this elite combat squad appeared in the capital. Dealing with those undisciplined stragglers was like tigers among sheep; no one could stop their advance. They quickly suppressed the nearby streets and expanded their influence throughout the entire western city.

Esdeath was also eager to try. For a battle maniac like her, it was impossible to come to the battlefield empty-handed. She would definitely hunt a few valuable prey to quell her hunger.

However, ordinary warriors did not interest her, and Iori told her to conserve her energy, as a more satisfying opponent would appear later.

Esdeath managed to suppress her emotions and waited patiently. However, she didn't have to wait long, because soon a huge sound like muffled thunder came from the palace, attracting the attention of countless people, including herself.

Rumble......

Vast swathes of magnificent buildings collapsed, and a massive shadow slowly rose from the thick smoke and dust—

hum! ! !

The blinding beam of light pierced through the smoke and swept rapidly across the area around the palace, almost cutting the ground in two. The next moment, scorching flames shot into the sky, and explosions rang out continuously where the beam had passed, as if a giant red lotus had suddenly bloomed!

boom!